Genetic Engineering News - Mar 23 Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have ident ified the genetic machinery responsible for synthesizing thiostrepton, a powerful antibiotic produced by certain bacteria. Though effective against the dangerous MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), it currently has only limited applications in humans because it is not water soluble. . . . "We are interested in making derivatives of this peptide drug that retain their potency and are efficiently processed by biochemical machinery," said Wendy L. Kelly, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech's School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

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